Publicly available peer reviews have become a conduit for anonymous buyers and anonymous sellers to engage in commercial transactions over the Internet since the mass adoption of Internet-based technology. Companies such as eBay, Amazon and others have popularized such peer reviews, or “feedback systems”. Such a medium allows a buyer and seller of goods and services the opportunity to build confidence in a person's level of credibility, trustworthiness and honesty.
Public ratings may be the basis upon which a consumer or business will make the decision to buy/sell products or services to/from other persons or businesses. For example, a seller using eBay that has amassed predominantly favorable ratings from its buyers is more likely to sell his products as compared with another seller with no, fewer, or lower ratings, all other things being equal.
Publicly available feedback or ratings are typically associated with a username, such as a self-originated name (“John Doe”), an email address (“john.doe@emailaddress.com”), or a computer-generated name (“JohnDoe12345”). That is, the username is permanent (or quasi-permanent) and must be provided or initiated by the user. Feedback or ratings may only be provided if one knows the username of the entity to be rated.
There exists a need, therefore, to permit an individual or organization (hereafter, an “evaluator”) to rate/review a provider of products or services where the username of the provider is not known by the individual or organization. More particularly, there exists a need to permit an evaluator to rate/review of provider of products or services offered by a mobile subscriber.
As used herein, the term “mobile phone” includes cellular and/or satellite mobile telephones; Personal Communications System (PCS) terminals that may combine a mobile phone with data processing, facsimile and/or data communications capabilities; Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) that can include a radio frequency transceiver and a pager, Internet/Intranet access, Web browser, organizer, calendar and/or a global positioning system (GPS) receiver; and/or conventional laptop and/or palmtop computers or other appliances, which include a radio frequency transceiver. As used herein, the term “mobile phone” also includes any other radiating user device/equipment/source that may have time-varying or fixed geographic coordinates, and may be portable, transportable, installed in a vehicle (aeronautical, maritime, or land-based), or situated and/or configured to operate locally and/or in a distributed fashion at any other location(s) on earth and/or in space. A “mobile phone” also may be referred to herein as a “subscriber station,” “radiotelephone,” “radioterminal,” “terminal,” “wireless terminal” or “wireless user device.”
As used herein, the term “mobile telephony network” means any of a plurality of wireless telephony and/or data networks, including but not limited to those based on Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Code-Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband CDMA (WCDMA), Integrated Digital Enhanced Network (iDEN), and/or 3GPP LTE.
As used herein, the term “electronic serial number” or “mobile equipment identity” each means an identification number that is globally unique for each CDMA mobile phone. It identifies that mobile phone to the mobile telephony network, and can be used to flag for enabling services. MEID is a replacement for ESN (electronic serial number).
As used herein, the term “International Circuit Card Identification” or “ICCID” means a 19- or 20-digit unique number that identifies an individual SIM card used in GSM/UMTS phones.
As used herein, the term “International Mobile Equipment Identity” or “IMEI” means a number unique to every GSM and UMTS mobile phone, for example, a device serial number.
As used herein, the term “International Mobile Subscriber Identity” or “IMSI” means a unique number associated with a subscriber in any GMS/UMTS network. The IMSI is stored on the (U)SIM/UICC.
As used herein, the term “Mobile Directory Number” or “MDN” means the actual phone number one would dial to reach a specific mobile phone in a CDMA network.
As used herein, the term “Mobile Identification Number” or “MIN” means a unique number assigned by the CDMA wireless service provider to each mobile phone it sells or includes in its service plans.
As used herein the term “Mobile Subscriber Integrated Services Digital Network” or “MSISDN” means the actual phone number one would dial to reach a specific mobile phone in a GSM/UMTS network.
As used herein, the term “Universal Integrated Circuit Card” means a chip card used in mobile phones in GSM and UMTS networks that contain subscription, authentication and security information. A Universal Integrated Circuit Card may also contain applications or files for offering content or services.
As used herein, the term “3GPP LTE (Long Term Evolution)” means the project within the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) to improve the UMTS mobile phone standard to cope with future technology evolutions. Goals include improving spectral efficiency, lowering costs, improving services, making use of new spectrum and refarmed spectrum opportunities, and better integration with other open standards.